UPDATE FROM COVERED CALIFORNIA on IRS FORM 1095-A

March 17, 2015 Guest User

UPDATE 3/24/15:

Covered California has begun sending out corrected 1095-A forms.

California sends 120,000 corrected tax forms, thousands more coming - reference article from the Los Angeles Times.

Original Post:

There have been several important updates to Covered California's process for distributing consumers’ IRS Form 1095-A and their process for handling IRS Form 1095-A dispute forms. This update pertains to those consumers who submitted an IRS Form 1095-A Dispute Form and with consumers that have not yet received an initial or corrected IRS Form 1095-A.

Dispute For: IRS Form 1095-A with Discrepancies Status

Callbacks: Starting today, Covered California Service Center Representatives (SCRs) are calling consumers who have submitted a dispute form to inform them of the results to their dispute. Covered California will leave messages for consumers to call the Covered California Service Center back if the consumers are unavailable.

Secured Inbox: Consumers should check and continue to check their Covered California online account secured inbox to see if their corrected IRS Form 1095-A has been uploaded for download. To identify the corrected form, consumers should select the consumer letter NOD-62B (corrected Form 1095-A). The IRS Form 1095-A corrected version will have an “X” inside of the “Corrected” check box. If consumers do not have an online account with Covered California, they can create an account and provide an email address so that they can receive timely correspondence or important notices in their account’s secured inbox.

No Calls on IRS Form 1095-A Dispute Form: Consumers who have not heard back from Covered California regarding their dispute form after 60 calendar days should call the Covered California Service Center to follow up.

Initial: IRS Form 1095-A Not Received Status

Returned Mail: Consumers must ensure that Covered California has their current mailing address. It’s extremely important to report address/mailing changes directly to Covered California right away. This way, United States Postal Service (USPS) will deliver the correspondence successfully to the consumers avoiding returned mail.

The IRS Form 1095-A corrected version will have an “X” inside of the “Corrected” check box. If consumers do not have an online account with Covered California, it’s important to create an account (ask your agent if you need help) and provide an email address so you can receive timely correspondence or important notices in their account’s secured inbox.

Need IRS Form 1095-A: Consumers who have not received their initial IRS Form 1095-A should call the Covered California Service Center right away to check on the status or submit a Dispute Form.

Updated 3/20/15:

IMPORTANT! READ CAREFULLY

Here is the latest information from Covered California to give to consumers who have received an INCORRECT Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1095-A.

BACKGROUND

Starting January 2015, Covered California reported consumers’ health care coverage information to the Department of Treasury IRS to ensure individuals are meeting health care coverage requirements for the 2014 calendar year. In addition, Covered California mailed the IRS Form 1095-A (also called the “Health Insurance Marketplace Statement”) to its consumers excluding consumers who purchased health plans through Covered California’s Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). The IRS Form 1095-A details the consumers’ primary tax filer (applicant) information; the coverage household information; and the household information health coverage information: monthly premium amount, monthly premium amount of the Second Lowest Cost Silver Plan (SLCSP), and the monthly Advanced Premium Tax Credit (APTC) received, if applicable for the 2014 calendar year. While most Covered California consumers received a correct IRS Form 1095-A on time, we are aware that some consumers have not received a correct IRS Form 1095-A or have concerns about the form they received. Covered California stated they are very sorry for the inconvenience and they know it is frustrating given the upcoming tax filing deadline on April 15. The announcement below will help consumers who have received an incorrect IRS Forms 1095-A.

CONSUMERS WITH INCORRECT IRS FORM 1095-A

Announcement

The good news from federal officials today, March 20, 2015, is that consumers who have already filed using the IRS Form 1095-A they received from Covered California do not have to take any further action in amending their filed federal tax return. If they later receive a corrected form and wish to file an amended federal tax return, they can, but it is not required. Per the announcement today, the IRS will not pursue the collection of any additional taxes based on updated information in the corrected forms. Covered California has worked very hard to issue the IRS Forms 1095-A in a timely way. Covered California expects to have all forms issued to Covered California consumers by the end of March 2015. Consumers should regularly check their online account. They will continue to work diligently to get correct IRS Form 1095-A to consumers as quickly as possible. In the coming weeks as we approach the April 15 tax deadline, Covered California will continue to provide updates to Covered California consumers and partners with the very latest information and guidance.

Key Points:

1. Consumer does not need to file an amended federal tax return, if they:

a. Enrolled in Covered California coverage for the 2014 calendar year,
b. Received an incorrect IRS Form 1095-A, and
c. Filed his or her federal tax return based on that form.

2. Consumers who have been notified of errors or on their IRS Form 1095-A but have not received a correction will not have to amend their federal tax returns if they file with the incorrect form.

3. Consumers who believe their IRS Form 1095-A contains errors or who have filed a dispute form will not have to amend their federal tax returns if they file with the incorrect form.

4. Consumers described in numbers 1 through 3 above will not have additional taxes collected based on the updated information in their corrected forms.

5. Consumers may choose to file amended federal tax returns. The United States Department of the Treasury intends to provide additional information to help tax filers determine whether they would benefit from filing amended returns. Consumers also may want to consult with their tax preparers to determine if they would benefit from amending.

Resources:

1. U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Statement:

http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/pressreleases/Pages/jl10005.aspx

2. U.S. Department of the Treasury’s FAQs:

http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/pressreleases/Documents/FAQs%20CMS%20032015.pdf

3. Covered California Website Statement: March 20, 2015 Announcement from Covered California regarding IRS Form 1095-A can be found here:

http://www.coveredca.com/youre-in/form-1095-a/

4. Covered California Sales Channels IRS Form 1095-A Toolkit: Updated with the U.S Department of the Treasury’s statement and FAQs and this notice can be found here:

http://hbexmail.blob.core.windows.net/eap/IRS%20Form%201095%20Toolkit.pdf

IRS FORM 1095-A IMPORTANT REMINDERS/SUMMARY

Important reminders from Covered California regarding IRS Form 1095-A Dispute Forms received.

1. Dispute Form Callbacks: Covered California Service Center Representatives (SCRs) are continuing to call consumers who have submitted a dispute form to inform them of the results to their dispute. Covered California will leave messages for consumers to call the Covered California Service Center back if the consumers are unavailable. Consumers who have not heard back from Covered California of the result to their dispute form after 60 calendar days should call the Covered California Service Center to follow up.

2. Secured Inbox: Consumers should check and continue to check their Covered California online account secured inbox to see if their corrected IRS Form 1095-A has been uploaded for download. To identify the corrected form, consumers should select the consumer letter NOD-62B (corrected Form 1095-A). The IRS Form 1095-A corrected version will have an “X” inside of the “Corrected” check box at the top of the form.

3. No online account: If consumers do not have an online account with Covered California, it’s important to create an account and provide an email address so consumers can receive timely correspondence or important notices in their account’s secured inbox.

4. Address Changes: Consumers must ensure that Covered California has their current mailing address. It’s extremely important to report mailing address changes directly to Covered California right away. This way, United States Postal Service (USPS) will deliver the correspondence successfully to the consumers avoiding any delay in receiving their IRS Form 1095-A. Covered California SCRs continue to call consumers to obtain their correct mailing address to send the IRS Form 1095-A to them.

5. Need Initial IRS Form 1095-A: Consumers who have not received their initial IRS Form 1095-A should call the Covered California Service Center right away to check on the status. Remember that consumers enrolled during the 2014 calendar year through the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) or in the Medi-Cal program will not receive IRS Form 1095-A.

COVERED CALIFORNIA SERVICE CENTERS Sales service channels and consumers can contact the appropriate phone numbers below if they have questions about this notice or need more information.

Consumers Covered California Consumer Service Center 1-800-300-1506

Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM